Variable-speed transmission-gear.



PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

H. D. WILLIAMS. VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 893,558. PATENTED JUL Y14', 1908.

- H. D. WILLIAMS.

VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION GEAR.

APPLIUATION FILED mLYza. 1906.

3 SHBETSSHEBT 2.

G/Zzkzrg mam M PATENTED JULY 14, 1903.

' H. D. WILLIAMS. VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

; 1 umrnn srarns ATENT t me.

HARVEY D. WILLIAMS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VATERBURY TOOL COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

VARIABLIE-SPEED TRANSMISSION -GEAR.

, Patented July 14, 1908.

. Application filed July '23, 1906. Serial No. 327,285. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1', IIARVEY I). WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVariable-Speed Traiismission-Gear, I

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pumps and -fl111(l motors adjustable in spced,-and to a combination of pump and iluid motor which constitutes a variable speed transmission gear.

The object of my invention is to improve those devices of the above indicated class in which a rotary cylinder barrel is employed with pistons moving lengthwise of the. axis of rotation and with an inclined rotary member connected withsaid pistons.v ,In practice diiliculties have arisen as regards securing a uniform action of the apparatus, and

my presentinvention relates to a simple construction for overcoming these difliculties.

A variable'speed gear embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,- in which Figure 1 is partly a longitudinal section and partly a side "elevation of the complete machine; Fig. 2 is a cross section, substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1, but drawn under the assumption that the inclined rotary member has been shifted to a position perpendicular to the shaft; Fig. 3 is a face View of said member with'certain connecting devices; Fig. 4 shows in detail the shaft, the inclmed rotary member, and their connections with the .pistons and with the adjustabletilting box; Fig. 5 illustrates the possibility of assembling the yokes connected with the pistons, through the central opening ofthe inclined member; Fig; 6 is a side elevation of one half of the machine with one form, of mechanism for adjusting the tilting box; Fig. 7 is a face view of the midplate and Fig. 8 is a cross section on line 8Sof Fig. 1, on a reduced scale.

The machine shown in the drawings comprises two shell sections, 1, resting oirfeet 1" and engaging a midplate 2 placed between them. These three parts are held together by any suitable means, such as tie bolts 3 and nuts l. The machine may be iilled with oil through an opening 1", and emptied when desired through a drain hole 1, normally closed by a plug.

4 and 4 are the driving shaft and the driven sl'iaft respectively, projecting through vrel toward the mid-plate.

the shells 1 and into the mid-plate 2, which 7 may contain abushing 2-and a fiber disk 5 interposed between the shaft'ends to take up end thrust. serve to distribute oil to the outer and inner portions of the shafts. Atthe end of each shell, I arrange a stu'liing box 6, with a packing ring 7 and a'screw cap 8, which after adjustment is locked by a keeper 9 engaging corrugations on the cap. The keeper is secured by screws 1().- The mid-plate 2 is provided with two ports 2 and 2, through Lubricating channels 1 and 2 which the fluid passes in opposite directions during the operation of the machine. The orifices of these ports are preferably arranged in annular portions 2 projected from the mid-plate.

The two sections of the machine, on opposite sidesof the mid-plate, may be exactly" the ports 2 and 2? of the stationary member or mid-plate. as the barrel 11 rotates. The barrel has two longitudinal key-ways 11 adapted to receive keys 13 held by a pin 14 driven through the shaft. The ends of the keys 13 are beveled, so that the barrel may not only move lengthwise of the shaft, but may rock slightly on the ends of the pin 14. The port surface of the barrel will thus snugly fit .the port surface of the mid-plate, under the influence of a spring 15, pressing the bar- The spring finds its backingor hearing point on a guide sleeve 16, keyed rigidly to the shaft 4. A collar 4 may be screwed on the shaft 4 to keep the barrel 11 connected therewith when the machine is taken apart.

Within each of the cylinders 12 is mounted to reciprocate a piston 17, with which is connected loosely a piston rod 18. The looseness should ermit of a slight side motion of the rod re atively to the piston, but a tight joint should be formed between piston and piston rod so that no leakage may occur (moving toward the mid-plate).

' guide sleeve and in engagement with balls 19 held in cages 20, these balls serving to guide the piston rods and to takeup any side thrust. The cages 20 may or may not have lengthwise movement in the a ertures16%;'

the drawing shows them mova le, the balls engaging the walls of the apertures and the piston rods as well,'so that each cage will travel lengthwise a distance approximately equal to one-half the piston stroke. The outer'end of each piston rod is secured to a oke 21 mounted to slide on the shaft 4-.

he piston rod may, for instance, be screwed into the yoke and then locked by a set screw 22. The yokes 21 are set loosely around the shaft, and their position is governed by that of the respective istons' 17. The outer member of each yo e receives one end of a brace rod 23, which may be screwed in and held by a set screw 22, in the same manner as the outer end of the piston rod. There is a brace rod 23 in alinement with ea'ch of the piston rods, and the outer end of each brace rod passes through one of a series of apertures 24 in a guide sleeve 24, secured rigidly, to the shaft 4 by a key 24* or in'any other suitable manner. Balls 25 and a movable cage 26 are provided at this point also, corresponding to the structure described in con-- nection with the guide sleeve 16.

The adjacent ends ofthe rods 18 and 23 are concaved spherically to fit the corresponding surfaces of ball segments 27 which are separated by a distance sleeve 28 and held together by a rivet 29 or equivalent means. Each sleeve 28 passes loosely through an aperture 30 in the inclined rotary member or swash-plate 30, said a erture being sufliciently larger than the s eeve to allow of the relative movement required by the adjustment of the device and by the ,e-

culiar movement of the swash-plate. is plate has its tapered edge supported on two rows of bearing balls 31 runningin a tilting box 32, fulcrumed on the shell 1 by means of trunnions 33 which are horizontal when, as

shown, the line of division between the midplate ports 2 and 2 is vertical or approximately so. Any suitable means may be employed for holding the tilting boX'32 steady and for adjusting its inclinations; in Figs. 2 and 6, I have indicated a toothed sector arm 34 secured to one of the trunnions 33, which trunnion is rigid with the tilting box. The teeth of the sector are engaged by a worm 35 on a shaft 35 journaled in suitable brackets 1 and adapted to be operated by means of a hand-wheel 35F. j I

In operation, as the shaft 4 is rotated, the barrel 11 and the guide sleeves 16, 24'revolve with the shaft. If the tilting member 32 and the swash-plate 30 stand perpendicular to tween the other yokes.

yokes are concaved to fit the shaft.

the swash-plate is inclined, as shown in Figs.

1 and 4, the engagement of the adjacent ends of the rods 18, 2 3 with the balls 27 carried by the swash-plate or inclined rotary member 30 will cause the pistons 17 to reci rocate in their cylinders 12, so that the oi or other liquid contained in the cylinders will be forced into the cylinders of the barrel on the other side of the mid-plate 2. The pistons on the driven end of the machine will thus be subjected to ressure which bein exerted against an inc med member (the ba l-bearing 31 and box 32) will cause the barrel on the driven end'of the machine to rotate in one direction or the other, depending on the inclination of the tilting box 32 at the driven end. The oil will 'pass 'to the driven section' through one of the mid-plate ports (2 or 2) and w ll return to the driving section through the other mid-plate port.

During the rotation of the barrel the center'of the ball formed by the segments 27 Will remain at a .constant distance from the axis of the shaft, since said segments are held between the concave ends of the rods 18, 23. When the inclination of the swash-plate is adjusted, the center of the ball is moved, more or less, away from the center of the swash-plate, hence the necessity for giving the sleeve 28 some lay. The peculiar motion of the swash-p ate when inclined, also renders the provision of such play necessary, even when no adjustment of the inclination is contemplated. Fig. 3 shows the position of the several sleeves when the swash-plate isinclined at an angle of 20.

The yokes 21 slide back and forth on the shaft, following the motion of the pistons 17. In assemblin the machine one end of the yoke is passe through the .central openin of the swash-plate 30, and the yoke is t en moved outward to its intended position. Fig. 5 shows all the yokes exceptv one, in their final position, and the last yoke in the central or inserting position. The corners of this yoke are cut off, as at 21,\so that it may be shifted outward throu h the gap left be- Ihe shaft 4 (or 4) is then inserted. The inner ends off She 8-. sired, all the yokes might be made alike, with the corners cut off. v

The two sections of the ap aratusbeing alike, either one of themmay e used as the driving section. 32 of one section may be fixed at a constant angle instead of being pivoted for adjust- 'ment.

Each of the sections may be considered as a pump or as a motor, beingcapable of either function, and each section is perfectl operative by itself. Thus all the parts s own to Ifdesired, the inclined box 50 ciprocate within sai cylinders, an inclined I the right of the midplate 21in Fig. 1 might be the midplate ports, and allowing it to pass stationary member,

out through the other, the apparatus could be used as a motor. In fact, the machine shown in Fig. 1 may be considered ,a combination of a pump (left-hand section) with a motor (right-hand section).

I claim,

1. Thencombination of astationary member having ports for the passage of the fluid, a rotary barrel having cylinders with orts adapted to communicate with those 0 the stationary member, (pistons mounted to reciprocate within sai cylinders, an inclined rotary member, and connections, permanently parallel with the barrelfs axis of rotation, extending from the pistons to said in clined member.

.2. The combination of a stationary member having ports for the passage of the'fluid, a rotary barrel having cylinders with orts adapted to communicate with those 0 the istonsmounted to re.- ciprocate within sai cylinders, an inclined rotary member, balls mounted on said inclinedmember, reciprocating yokes embracing said balls, piston rods secured to the pistons and to the yokes and engaging the balls on oneflside, and-bracing rods secured to the yokes'and engaging the balls on the other side.

3. The combination of a stationary member having ports for the passage of the fluid, a rotary barrel having cylinders with orts adapted to communicate-with those o the stationary member, istons mounted to reciprocate within sai cylinders, an inclined rotary member, balls mounted on said inclined member, and piston rods connected with said pistons and engaging said balls.

4. The combination of a stationary member having ports for the passage of the fluid, a rotary barrel having cylinders with orts adapted to communicate with those 0 the stationary member, istons mounted to rerotary member, balls mounted on said 1nclined member, rods connected with said pistons and engaging said balls, and bracing rods connected with the piston rods and engaging the balls on the other side.

' 5. The combination of a stationary member having ports for the passage of the fluid,

a rotary barrel having cylinders with orts adapted to communicate with those of the stationary member, istons mounted to 'reciprocate within sai cylinders, an inclined rotary member, a uide member located on the side of this inc ined member 0 posite to the barrel and held to rotate with t e barrel,

balls on the inclined member, rods connected with the pistons and engaging said balls on one side, and brace rods held to reciprocate 1n sa1d guide members, in unison wlth the pistons, and arranged to engage said balls on the other side.

6. The combination of a stationary member havin ports for the passage of the fluid, a shaft, a arrel held to rotate with the shaft and having cylinders with ports adapted to communicate with those of the stationary member, pistons within said cylinders, an inclined member, slides mounted to move lengthwise on the shaft, and piston rods extending from the pistons to the said inclined member and secured to said slides.

7. The combination of a stationary mem- 4 her having ports for the passage of the fluid, a rotary barrel having cylinders with )orts adapted to communicate with those 0 the stationary member, pistons mounted to reciprocate within said cylinders, an inclined rotary member, a guide member located between the inclined member and the barrel and held to rotate with both of them, rods extending from the piston to the inclined member, and ball bearings engaging said rods and the guide member.

8. The combination of a stationary member havin ports for the passage of the fluid, a shaft, a arrel held to rotate with the shaft and having cylinders with ports adapted to communicate with those of the stationary member, pistons within said cylinders, an in clined rotary member, a guide member located between the barrel and said inclined member and held to rotate with the shaft, rods connected with the pistons loosely and having an engagement with said inclined member, and bearing balls engaging the said rods and the guide member to take up lateral strains.

9. The combination of a stationary member having ports for the passage of the fluid, a shaft, a barrel held to rotate with the shaft and having cylinders with ports adapted to communicate with those of the stationary member, pistons within said cylinders, an inclined rotary member, a guide member located between the barrel and said inclined member and held to rotate with the shaft,

- rods connected with the pistons and with the rods, each in alinement with one of the piston member, pistons'within said cylinders, an inclined rotary member, a series of individual yokes mounted to slide on the shaft and each embracing the said inclined member, two guide mbmbers, held to turn with the shaft, between which said yokes are located, a'rod extending from each of the pistons through one of the guide members and one member of a yoke to an engagement with the inclined member, and reciprocating brace rods, passing from the other guide member through the other members of the yokes and intoengagement with the inclined member.

1 1. The combination of a stationary member having ports for the passage of the fluid,

two rotary barrels having cylinders with.

ports adapted to communicate with those of the stationary member, pistons in said cylinders, inclined rotary members, connections, permanently parallel with the axes of rotation of the respective barrels, extending (from the pistons to the'respective inclined members, and a tiltin bearing for varying the inclination of one said inclinedzrotary members 12. The combination of a stationary inember having ports for the passage of 'the fluid,

a rotary barrel having cylinders with ports adaptedv to communicate with those of the statlonary member, ciprocate within sai cylinders, an inclined rotary member, a tilting bearing for varying istons mounted to rethe inclination of said inclined rotary member,- and connections, permanently parallel with the barrels axis of rotation, extending from the pistons to said inclined member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing 

